When Bush's mega-selling debut album Sixteen Stone arrived in 1994, the English rock band were derided by the press as Nirvana rip-offs and grunge wannabes.
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Twenty-five years on and millions of records sold, front-man Gavin Rossdale can shrug off such criticism.
"The worst reviews were when we were our most successful," he laughed.
"Now we get lovely, glowing reviews that we never would have got back in the day. It seems like the less records you sell, the better the reviews are."
Having returned nearly a decade ago from an extended hiatus, Bush continue to tour internationally, and plan to release a new album in early 2020.
"We're just like respectable, working musicians," Rossdale laughed.
"I have zero expectations, have no ego about it. I'm still happy doing it, having a great time doing it and the band's better than ever."
In recent times, Bush had a new track, Bullet Holes, featured on the soundtrack for the hit film John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum.
"It's so hard to get noticed any more, to get above the noise with so much going on," he said.
"So to be associated with the number one movie in the world, that's a good rocketship to be on the side of."
The digital age and multitude of entertainment options available can make it difficult to maintain an audience's attention.
"It's weird, because no one's got (an) attention span for their own lives," Rossdale said.
"I was playing a show in Chicago last week, and there was like 15,000 people, it was sold out. I was at the front desk getting my key. And as I pulled up, this guy next to me turned around and said, 'mate, have you ever thought about a reunion tour?'
"I was like, 'yeah, in a few hours' time just down the road'. There's 15,000 people there, but this guy didn't... What's nice is, I haven't stopped being recognised, but some people are maybe not quite clear if I'm still doing it or not.
"It's a weird world."
Rossdale's high-profile relationships - most notably his former marriage to Gwen Stefani - has ensured his personal life has frequently been in the headlines.
However, perhaps the media circus that has surrounded him in the past isn't quite as relentless these days when Bush go on tour.
"For us, it's a beautiful thing to go and play music because of the love of music," he said.
"I suppose the celebrity side is there when you're in the major cities, but it's not so big in North Dakota, or like Wollongong."
-Bush, Live and Stone Temple Pilots will perform at Under the Southern Stars at Stuart Park on Thursday, April 9. Tickets: www.underthesouthernstars.com.au.
Brendan Crabb
I'm a member of ACM's national property team, covering the Illawarra and South Coast. Based in Albion Park, NSW, I write about exciting, interesting or just downright quirky properties that have been listed for sale, major sales, market trends, auctions and more. One of my favourite aspects of being a journalist is I believe everyone has a story to tell. What's yours?
I'm a member of ACM's national property team, covering the Illawarra and South Coast. Based in Albion Park, NSW, I write about exciting, interesting or just downright quirky properties that have been listed for sale, major sales, market trends, auctions and more. One of my favourite aspects of being a journalist is I believe everyone has a story to tell. What's yours?
